Carrying apparatus



(No Model.) v BSheets-Sheet 1. N. WEEKS, Jr.

CARRYING APPARATUS, No. 410,817. Patented Sept. 10, 1889.

ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N. WEEKS, Jr. CARRYING APPARATUS.

. Patented Sept. 10, 1889.

N. U Sv Pholn-Lilhognpha r. Wish'mgan. DJ"- (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. N WEEKS, Jr CARRYING APPARATUS.

Patented Sept. 10, 1889;

IIVVE/VTOB: WW9;

BY ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES N. PETERS. PhoQo-Llthogmhher, Waihingfon, me.

UNITED STATES f PATENT OFFICE.

NELSON WEEKS, JR, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEYVYORK.

CARRYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,817, dated September 10, 1889.

Application filed February 9, 1889- Serial No. 299,274. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELSON WVEEKS, J r., of Long Island City, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Carrying Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates particularly to apparatus for conveying cash between the salesstations of a store and the cashiers desk.

The invention consists in a carriage traveling on a continuous track and provided with a carrier for the cash-pockets, the carrier being movable on the carriage transversely of the track to successively present a different section of the carrier to the trips located at the different stations, said trips being all in line.

The invention also consists in novel details of construction and arrangement, as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the 'figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the track and sales-stations. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line w 00, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of a station, the carriage and track being in section. Fig. 4: is aperspective View of the cashtpocket. Fig. 5 is a top view of the pocketholding arm and staff. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line :1 y, Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on line .2 2, Fig. 2.

The track-rails A are formed in a continuous circuit, as shown, and are supported from the ceiling or other support in any suitable manner, as by frames A at each station.

A chute B is located at each station, its upper end projecting into the path of the carrier, hereinafter described, and acts to trip and dislodge the cash-pockets arriving in the carrier from the cashiers desk. The chutes B of all the stations are arranged in line that is, in the same position transversely of the track.

On the rails A travel the wheels 0 of the carriage O of my improved apparatus, said carriage consisting of a suitable frame pro- .vided with an arm 0, for attachment to the s continuously-moving cord or cable A and with transverse rods 0 C that extend across the carriage, 011 which rods is hung by tubular hangers D the carrier D of the carriage, the carrier being fitted on the carriage for lateral movement to successively present a different section of the carrier to the different chutes B. The carrier D is divided into a series of open-ended compartments or cells d, which extend longitudinally of the carriage, and whose sides and top are or may be closed, the bottom of each compartment being formed with a longitudinal slot d, for accommodating the cash-pocket, presently to be described.

Depending from the carrier D, between each compartment of the carriage, are two plates (Z which prevent lateral play of the cash-pockets and steady the same in the carr1age,

The cash-pockets E are formed with a hinged or swinging side or cover E, which is held closedv by any suitable catch device 6, and above the top or back edge of the can riage is supported a head E, a web 6 uniting said head to the body of the pocket. The head E is adapted to be received in a cell or compartment (1 of the carrier, the neck 6 of the pocket lying in the slot d, and the body of the pocket being held between the plates d Thus far the cash-pocket is of the same form as the pocket described and shown in my patent, No. 399,457, dated March 12, 1889. The cash-pocket shown in the above-named patent, however, is provided with a circular socket, by means of which it is temporarily held on .an arm at the station until taken up by the carrier. In the present instance I prefer to provide the pocket with an angular socket e*, that accommodates the horizontal arm F of a staff or standard F, which is ele The carrier D is moved and guided laterally to present to the chute B of each station the compartment of the carrier assigned to each station by the guide-rail G, that extends continuously around the track, and on which rides the guide-block I) of the carrier. The guide-rail G is sufficiently flexible to be bent or flexed by an adj ustin g-rod H, which is movable in a bracket or support A on frame A, a rod I-I being provided for each station, and by means of which the guide-rail is flexed transversely of the track to bring it into such relation to the chute B of the station that a different compartment of the carriage will be presented to the chute of each station.

The

adjusting-rods H are fixed in the given position by a set-screw 71-.

,On the top of the carriage there is provided a transverse rod D on which are hinged a series of latches D one for each comlmrtment-which are formed with downwardly-bent rear ends that effect a closure of the rear end of the compartment. closing the compartment of a particular station is located directly above such compartment, and as the carrier arrives at the station The latch and is guided to present to the chute thereat the proper compartment the latch of the latter is raised by a magnet I, held at each station by the frame A. The latch, while being within the influence of the magnet, is prevented from cont-acting therewith by a rod C on carrier C, against which the rearwa'rdlyextending ends D of the latches strike. The upper end B of each chute B is enlarged and curved in the inverse direction of the direction of travel of the carriage, and is formed of metal of a thickness that will permit its;

sides I; to be received between the plates d of adjoining compartments of the carrier, as shown in Fig. 3. As the carrier arrives at. the station, the cash-pocket E belonging toj the station passes into and across the upper,

end of the chute B and strikes against the rear end B of the chute and is dislodged from the carrier, dropping into the chute, the head of the pocket entering the vertical groove or bore 1) of the upright 13 that supports the chute.

The front wall of the upright 13 is formed with a vertical slot extending into the groove 1), in which slot b the web or neck 6 of the pocket travels.

.The descent of the cash-pocket is retarded by a platespring B, lying vertically in groove tical slot j in the face of the box-like structure J.

To the lug f at the lower end of the staff F is secured the elevating rope or strap K, which passes over a guide-pulley K in the top of box J and over a pulley or roller L on the operating-rod L, thus supporting said rod, the lower end of which extends downward through the bottom of the box J, and is provided with a suitable knob or handle L that enables it to be conveniently grasped by the salesman. After passing over pulley L the rope K is carried up to the top of the box J and suitably secured, a spring K being preferably attached to its end to prevent shock or ar.

A stop-lug f on the upper rear end of the staff F strikes a screw f in the top of box J when the staff is raised, and by means staif is regulated to bring it to a proper height to allow the carriage to take up the pocket from the arm F. \Vhen the staff is raised to the upper position by pulling down on rod L, it is prevented from falling by the laterally-projecting pin Z on rod L, which pin, when the rod is turned, engages the under side of box J. The magnet at each station is so located with respect to the chute thereat as to lift the latch the instant before the pocket strikes the rear end of the chute. After dropping the pocket into the chute at a station the carrier in its further movement passes over the staif F and takes up the cashpoeket from the same and delivers it to the cashiers desk, (not shown,) the head of the pocket entering a cell (Z of the carrier and resting on the slotted bottom thereof.

The forward ends of the compartments of the carrier are provided with the gravitating gates d which close automatically after the entrance of the pocket-head.

The cashi'ers desk is not shown in the drawings, as its tripping-chutes, magnets, and pocket-holding arms conform to those of the several sales-stations, being merely a duplicw tion of each of the devices at the latter.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a track, of a car'- riage traversing the same, a carrier thereon, and a guide for moving the carrier trans versely on the carriage, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the track, of a trip at each station, all arranged in line with each other, a carriage traversing the track, a.

carrier thereon, and a guide for moving the carrier transversely on the carriage to bring a different section thereof in line with the re spective trips, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a carrier apparatus,

of a track, a continuously-movable carriage,

a carrier on the latter adapted to move transversely thereon, and a guide-rail witlrwhich the carrier engages, the guide-rail being laterally adjustable, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a carrier apparatus, of a track and a carriage, a transversely-movable carrier thereon, chutes arranged at in tervals throughout the track and projecting into the path of the carrier, and arms for holding the cash-pockets to be taken up by the carrier, the said chutes and arms of all stations being arranged in line with each other, substantially as described.

5. In a carrier apparatus, a carriage and a carrier thereon fitted for independent transverse movement, in combination with trips at each station arranged in the same line throughout the track, arms in line with the chutes for holding the cash-pockets, and a guide for guiding the movable carrier to present a diiferent section thereof to the various chutes and arms, substantially as described.

6. A carrier apparatus comprising the following elements: a continuous track, a carriage traveling thereon, a comparted carrier hung on the carriage and transversely movable thereon, the compartments of the carrier being closed at one end by latches, cash-pockets receivable by said compartments, chutes at each station projecting into the path of the carriage for dislodging and receiving the cash-pockets from the carrier, the said chutes being in line throughout the track, arms at each station for holding the cash-pockets until taken up by the carrier, the said arms being vertically movable to be projected into the path of the carriage or withdrawn therefrom, and a laterally-adjustable guide-rail for the carrier extending around the track and lying at varying distances from the chutes of the difierent stations to present a difierent compartment of the carrier to the different chutes, and a magnet at each station for lifting the latches of the carrier, sub stantially as described.

7. In a cash-carrier, the vertically-movable staff or head F, having a pocket-holding arm projecting therefrom and provided With an outward bowed longitudinally extending spring f, substantially as set forth.

8. In a cash-carrier, the staff or head F, having a pocket-holding arm F, provided with an outward-bowed longitudinally-extending spring, the guide-rib f and the stop-lug f substantially as set forth.

9. In a cash-carrier, the combination, with the carriage provided with a transverselymovable carrier having a series of cash-pocket holders and means for automatically shifting the said series, of a series of cash-pocket supports or arms arranged at proper intervals, the said series of cash-pocket holders being automatically shifted transversely to bring said holders successively in line with the said arms or supports, substantially as set forth.

NELSON WEEKS, JR.

Witnesses J. L. MOAULIFFE, EDGAR TATE. 

